Melanie

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“I was only 26 years old. You hear of it happening to other people, but being so young, you never think, ‘It’s gonna be me.’

 

It started when I was still living in England: weakness, terrible nosebleeds, pains in my back, bloating… I couldn’t eat very much. I had symptoms for seven months. I’m the type of person who just brushes things off and hopes that it’ll be ok. I was just Googling my symptoms which is the worst thing you can do.

 

The tumour they found was the size of a rugby ball on my ovary – a  germ cell tumour, which is a rare form of fast-growing ovarian cancer. They removed an ovary and fallopian tube. A couple weeks later, I began nine weeks of aggressive chemotherapy. Chemotherapy itself can affect fertility, so there was a chance that I might not be able to conceive.

 

I moved to Canada (where my husband is from), we got married, and we moved forward, thinking we might never have a baby. Two years after my chemotherapy ended, I took a pregnancy test, and because ovarian cancer can sometimes give you a false positive, I was scared the cancer was back. I rushed to The Moncton Hospital. They did an ultrasound and there was a little heartbeat.

 

My son was born completely healthy, and even though I’m cancer-free, I still need routine blood work, ultrasounds and CAT scans. I’m also being monitored there by the best doctors in the world, like Dr. Abdelsalam. I’m so lucky. I’m truly blessed.”– Melanie

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Right now, you can ensure everyone in our community receives the best care possible by giving to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation. 

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To make a donation to the current campaign in honour of someone you know or someone you want to give special recognition to - a loved one, a frontline worker, the healthcare team, a volunteer -  click the ‘Donate’ button below. On the "Donation Amount" page, select "I am supporting: Current Campaign”.